Store manager takes gun before boy charged with terrorizing

Published: Thursday, May 9, 2013 at 8:29 a.m.

Last Modified: Thursday, May 9, 2013 at 8:29 a.m.

Renee Lovell doesn’t have any self-defense training. She’s not a cop. She’s doesn’t even own a gun herself.

The 30-year-old Thibodaux store manager said she was able to get a gun away from a kid who pointed it at her Monday afternoon because she’s a mom.

“I said, ‘Give it to me,’ ” Lovell said she told the junior high school boy who aimed the gun at her in her store.

She held her hand out.

“Then he hesitated, and I said, ‘Give it to me, now.’ ”

The boy handed her the gun, and with the help of her two female employees, Lovell kept the boy from leaving the store in a North Canal Boulevard strip mall until Thibodaux Police arrived, she said.

It turned out to be a pellet gun made to look like a semi-automatic, police spokesman Detective David Melancon said.

But the gun was black and did not have an orange tip, and “to me, this was what the cops carry. This was a handgun,” Lovell said.

When she took it from him, it was heavy, she said. She didn’t realize it was a pellet gun until police took the boy into custody and told her.

The boy, whose name police cannot release because he is a minor, is charged with terrorizing.

That afternoon, the young gunman came into the store with a younger boy and started browsing in the girls’ clothing section. That immediately arose Lovell’s suspicions, she said.

“Little boys aren’t going to come in and go in the girls’ department,” she said. “Most of the time, boys don’t want to come in the store at all.”

Lovell asked that the Daily Comet and The Courier not publish the name of the store, but Thibodaux Police said it is in the 300 block of North Canal Boulevard.

She went up to the boys, asking if they needed help, and they told her they were looking for a necklace, Lovell said. She directed them to the jewelry section, but after a while they made their way back to the clothes.

<p>Renee Lovell doesn't have any self-defense training. She's not a cop. She's doesn't even own a gun herself.</p><p>The 30-year-old Thibodaux store manager said she was able to get a gun away from a kid who pointed it at her Monday afternoon because she's a mom.</p><p>“I said, 'Give it to me,' ” Lovell said she told the junior high school boy who aimed the gun at her in her store.</p><p>She held her hand out.</p><p>“Then he hesitated, and I said, 'Give it to me, now.' ”</p><p>The boy handed her the gun, and with the help of her two female employees, Lovell kept the boy from leaving the store in a North Canal Boulevard strip mall until Thibodaux Police arrived, she said.</p><p>It turned out to be a pellet gun made to look like a semi-automatic, police spokesman Detective David Melancon said. </p><p>But the gun was black and did not have an orange tip, and “to me, this was what the cops carry. This was a handgun,” Lovell said. </p><p>When she took it from him, it was heavy, she said. She didn't realize it was a pellet gun until police took the boy into custody and told her.</p><p>The boy, whose name police cannot release because he is a minor, is charged with terrorizing.</p><p>That afternoon, the young gunman came into the store with a younger boy and started browsing in the girls' clothing section. That immediately arose Lovell's suspicions, she said. </p><p>“Little boys aren't going to come in and go in the girls' department,” she said. “Most of the time, boys don't want to come in the store at all.”</p><p>Lovell asked that the Daily Comet and The Courier not publish the name of the store, but Thibodaux Police said it is in the 300 block of North Canal Boulevard. </p><p>She went up to the boys, asking if they needed help, and they told her they were looking for a necklace, Lovell said. She directed them to the jewelry section, but after a while they made their way back to the clothes.</p><p>“The older boy was acting a little funny,” she said. “He always stayed behind the younger boy. I thought, OK, something's just not right.”</p><p>The younger boy seemed to be helping the other hide something by standing in front of him, she said. Then Lovell, who has a 10-year-old daughter, said her mom instinct kicked in.</p><p>“Give me whatever you have in your hand,” Lovell recalled telling the older boy. “You're hiding something from me. What do you have?”</p><p>She said she moved some clothes that were partially concealing the boy from view, and when she did she saw the gun was pointed at her.</p><p>She yelled for one employee to call 911, while another blocked the door, she said. That's when she demanded the gun from him, and the police arrived with their guns drawn a minute or two later.</p><p>Lovell said she was surprised at her reaction. She never expected she would react that way in that situation.</p><p>“He could've been my child,” Lovell said. “I was so mad and angry. ... I was in protection mode.”</p><p>Staff Writer Katie Urbaszewski can be reached at 448-7617 or katie.urbaszewski@dailycomet.com.</p>